United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.60.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNFI. Roth Mkm upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Northcoast Research raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 15,152 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.78, for a total value of $299,706.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,986,366.94. This represents a 13.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 661.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,879 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter worth $94,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in United Natural Foods in the second quarter worth $97,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of United Natural Foods stock opened at $25.88 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.48 and a beta of 0.64. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $8.58 and a 52-week high of $32.20. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.54.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.61 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.04) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The company offers grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, wellness and personal care items, and bulk and foodservice products.